QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online December 14, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 92-105 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
doi: 10.1242/jeb.012450

This Article Summary Figures Only Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Spitzer, N. Articles by Baro, D. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Spitzer, N. Articles by Baro, D. J.

Conservation of structure, signaling and pharmacology between two serotonin receptor subtypes from decapod crustaceans, Panulirus interruptus and Procambarus clarkii

Nadja Spitzer^*, Donald H. Edwards and Deborah J. Baro

Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA

Author for correspondence (e-mail: dbaro{at}gsu.edu)

Accepted 25 October 2007

	Summary

TOP Summary INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION References

 
Serotonin (5-HT) plays important roles in the maintenance and modulation of neural systems throughout the animal kingdom. The actions of 5-HT have been well characterized for several crustacean model circuits; however, a dissection of the serotonergic transduction cascades operating in these models has been hampered by the lack of pharmacological tools for invertebrate receptors. Here we provide pharmacological profiles for two 5-HT receptors from the swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii: 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁. In so doing, we also report the first functional expression of a crustacean 5-HT₁ receptor, and show that it inhibits accumulation of cAMP. The drugs mCPP and quipazine are 5-HT₁ agonists and are ineffective at 5-HT_2β. Conversely, methiothepin and cinanserin are antagonists of 5-HT_2β but do not block 5-HT₁. A comparison of these two receptors with their orthologs from the California spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus, indicates conservation of protein structure, signaling and pharmacology. This conservation extends beyond crustacean infraorders. The signature residues that form the ligand-binding pocket in mammalian 5-HT receptors are found in the crustacean receptors. Similarly, the protein domains involved in G protein coupling are conserved between the two crustacean receptors and other characterized arthropod and mammalian 5-HT receptors. Considering the apparent conservation of pharmacological properties between crustacean 5-HT receptors, these tools could be applicable to related crustacean physiological preparations.

Key words: agonist, antagonist, neuromodulation, G protein-coupled receptor, amine, cloning

	INTRODUCTION

TOP Summary INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION References

 
Serotonin (5-HT) is an important neurotransmitter and neurohormone in most animal species. Diverse processes, including social behaviors and a variety of systemic physiological functions are regulated by this biogenic amine. Animals have evolved a suite of 5-HT receptor types; thus, a ingle neurotransmitter can have multiple and complex effects on different tissues. To date, seven classes of serotonin receptors have been identified in mammals. These receptor classes are categorized with respect to their signal transduction mechanisms and pharmacological properties (Gerhardt and van Heerikhuizen, 1997; Hoyer et al., 2002; Kroeze et al., 2002).

In invertebrate nervous systems 5-HT can modulate motor pattern generation (Hooper and DiCaprio, 2004), escape and social status (Edwards et al., 1999), aggression (Kravitz, 2000) and learning (Barbas et al., 2003; Bicker, 1999; Kandel and Schwartz, 1982). Serotonin has multiple and complex roles in crustacean models. 5-HT application to the stomatogastric nervous system of decapod crustaceans elicits distinct responses from individual identified neurons (Flamm and Harris-Warrick, 1986), and these responses can differ for the same identified neuron in different species (Katz and Tazaki, 1992). In the crayfish, the social status of an individual determines the directionality of 5-HT modulation of the lateral giant escape circuit response to sensory stimulation (Yeh et al., 1997; Yeh et al., 1996). The rate and concentration of 5-HT application to the circuit also affect this response (Teshiba et al., 2001). These studies suggest that crustaceans express several different 5-HT receptor types and that the expression or signaling of these receptors might change in response to social or environmental stimuli.

Crustacean hormonal circuits with small numbers of identifiable cells are ideal preparations for investigating the mechanistic basis of modulation and plasticity. Such studies have, however, been limited by the lack of pharmacological tools. Although the protein sequences and second-messenger couplings of 5-HT receptors are relatively well conserved across all species, their pharmacological profiles can vary significantly between vertebrate and invertebrate preparations, and even within invertebrate preparations (Tierney, 2001). This is not surprising as one would not expect selection for or against amino acids involved in binding synthetic ligands. We have recently identified and cloned two crustacean 5-HT receptors from the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus, infraorder Achelata: 5-HT_1Pan and 5-HT_2βPan (Clark et al., 2004; Sosa et al., 2004). We were interested to know whether the actions of pharmacological agents were conserved across crustacean species. We therefore obtained full-length clones for the same two receptors from a second distantly related decapod crustacean, the swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (infraorder Astacidea), and expressed these receptors in a heterologous system in order to determine their second messenger couplings and pharmacological profiles. These parameters were then compared across the two species.

	MATERIALS AND METHODS

TOP Summary INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION References

 
Animals
Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii Girard 1852, were obtained from Atchafalaya Biological Supply (Raceland, LA, USA) and kept communally at 20°C in 40 l tanks with continual filtration and aeration.

Chemicals and cell lines
HEK293, NIH3T3, COS-7 and MDCK cells, Earle's minimal essential medium (EMEM), horse serum, trypsin, penicillin and streptomycin were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Mannassas, VA, USA). Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) was from Mediatech Inc. (Herndon, VA, USA). Dialyzed fetal bovine serum (FBS), TRex cell line (293-TR), pDNA4/TO plasmid, blasticidin and zeocin were from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA, USA). Cinanserin was obtained from Tocris (Ballwin, MO, USA). All other chemicals were from Sigma (St Louis, MO, USA). For pharmacology experiments, amine and agonist stock solutions (10^–1 mol l^–1) were made fresh for every experiment in medium or 50% ethanol, respectively. Two exceptions were tyramine (Tyr), which was made fresh as a 10^–2 mol l^–1 stock in medium, and methysergide, which was made as a 10^–2 mol l^–1 stock in DMSO and stored at –20°C. Antagonist drugs were made as 10^–2 mol l^–1 stock solutions in DMSO and stored at –20°C.

Cloning of full-length 5-HT₁ and 5-HT_2β from Procambarus clarkii and generation of expression constructs
Complete cloning and sequencing of 5-HT_2βPan and 5-HT_1Pan from Panulirus interruptus have been previously described (Clark et al., 2004; Sosa et al., 2004).

We also previously cloned a large segment of 5-HT_1Pro spanning transmembrane domains III–VII from Procambarus clarkii (Sosa et al., 2004). We have now completed the sequencing of the 5-HT_1Pro cDNA using rapid amplification of DNA ends (SMART RACE cDNA Amplification kit; BD Biosciences, Clontech, Cambridge, UK) as previously described (Clark et al., 2004). Constructs containing the complete ORF were assembled using standard procedures (Ausubel et al., 1990). Both strands of the construct were sequenced and errors that had been introduced in the cloning process were corrected using QuikChange site directed mutagenesis (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA, USA). The construct was then cloned into the pDNA4/TO (Invitrogen) expression plasmid.

5-HT_2βPro was cloned from crayfish cDNA using degenerate RT-PCR and RACE. Previously, 5-HT_2βPan had been identified in the Drosophila genome database and the ortholog from Panulirus was fully cloned and characterized for signal transduction properties (Clark et al., 2004). Degenerate primers were designed based on conserved regions of these Panulirus and Drosophila orthologs of 5-HT_2βPro (written 5'-3'): 5-5-1, GAYGTIYTITTYTGYACIGCIWSIATHATG; 5-5-2, ATGCAYYTITGYACIYTIWSIGTIGAYMGI TT; 5-3, CATDATDATIARIGGDATRTARAARCA; 3-5-1, CAYGGIMGIAAYATHMGIATGGARCA; 3-5-2, WUIGARCARAARGCNACNAARGU; 3-3, YUURUURAAIAWIGURUARRA.

Multiple cDNA preparations, each from a separate crayfish nervous tissue mRNA preparation, were used as templates for nested PCR experiments with these degenerate primers to amplify fragments of the crayfish ortholog, as described previously (Baro et al., 1994; Sosa et al., 2004). Primers specific to 5-HT_2βPro were designed to generate a large clone of 5-HT_2βPro. The N- and C-terminals of 5-HT_2βPro were then cloned using SMART RACE as described above. A construct containing the complete ORF was assembled, sequenced and inserted into the pIRESneo (Clontech, Mountain View, CA, USA) expression plasmid as previously described for 5-HT_2βPan (Clark et al., 2004).

Sequence data were analyzed using Sequencher 4.1 (Gene Codes Corp., Ann Arbor, MI, USA). Sequences for other arthropod species were obtained from GenBank and alignments were created to determine sequence identities using the ClustalW algorithm with default settings in Lasergene MegAlign (DNASTAR Inc., Madison, WI, USA). Full Procambarus sequences have been deposited in GenBank under accession numbers EU131666 (5-HT_2βPro) and EU131667 (5-HT_1Pro).

Generation of cell cultures expressing crustacean 5-HT receptors
We previously characterized the signaling and pharmacological properties of the 5-HT_2βPan receptor transiently expressed in HEK293 cells (Clark et al., 2004). We used the same techniques to characterize the Procambarus ortholog, 5-HT_2βPro. Briefly, cells were maintained in EMEM supplemented with 10% FBS, 50 i.u. ml^–1 penicillin and 50 µg ml^–1 streptomycin (normal medium). Cells were plated on 60 mm dishes in EMEM without antibiotics, allowed to grow to 95–100% confluency and then transfected with 2 µg of DNA using lipofectamine (Invitrogen). The plates were supplemented to a final concentration of 10% FBS 6 h after transfection, and the medium was replaced with normal medium 24 h after transfection.

In order to functionally characterize 5-HT_1Pan and 5-HT_1Pro, we first generated full-length constructs using standard recombinant techniques, as described above. The 5-HT₁ receptors were first cloned into pIRESneo and stably transfected into several cell lines using lipofectamine as detailed in the Results. Immunoblotting experiments coupled with the lack of growth after several weeks of selection suggested that none of these cell lines could stably express either the 5-HT_1Pan or the 5-HT_1Pro receptor. This did not appear to be a general phenomenon associated with crustacean receptors, as we successfully expressed 5HT_2β receptors and crustacean dopamine receptors in these cell lines. The most reasonable explanation for our finding was that the cell lines could not tolerate high levels of the 5-HT₁ receptor, and for reasons unknown, cells expressing 5-HT₁ receptors were selected against. Inducible expression systems have been developed to deal with this type of problem.

We next expressed the 5-HT₁ constructs in an inducible expression system. In this system the 5-HT₁ cDNA is stably integrated into the genome of the parental HEK cells, but it is not transcribed unless tetracycline is present in the medium. Using this system we could express 5-HT₁ receptors for a defined time interval, and then perform the assays before the cells were selected against. 5-HT₁ cDNA was cloned into the inducible expression plasmid, pDNA4/TO, behind the tetracycline operator. The new constructs were then transfected into HEK293-TR cells stably expressing the tetracycline repressor protein. Stably transfected cells (i.e. those in which the plasmid carrying the receptor was incorporated into the HEK cell genome) were selected for >4 weeks in DMEM supplemented with 10% dialyzed fetal bovine serum, 5 µg ml^–1 blasticidin and 300 µg ml^–1 zeocin (complete medium; TRex regulated expression system, Invitrogen). Confluent plates were easily obtained after 4 weeks, suggesting that the 5-HT₁ cDNA could be maintained in tissue culture cells as long as it was not transcribed and translated. Next, western blots were used to confirm tet-repressor-regulated 5-HT_1Pan expression as follows. Cells were plated in 60 mm dishes and induced with 1 µmol l^–1 tetracycline 0, 6, 8, 12 and 24 h before collection and isolation of protein by previously described methods (Clark et al., 2004; Sosa et al., 2004). Protein preparations were run on a 10% SDS-PAGE gel, transferred to PVDF membranes and probed with a custom-made rabbit anti-5-HT_1Crust antibody (Sosa et al., 2004). Bands were visualized using chemiluminescence (Immun-Star, BioRad, Hercules, CA, USA). 5-HT_1Pan production commences within 6 h after induction and lasts through 24 h of induction (Fig. 1). Crude protein prepared from lobster nervous system was run as a positive control. Similar results were found for induction of 5-HT_1Pro in stably transfected 293-TR-5-HT_1Pro lines. Based on these findings we induced cells for functional assays for 18–20 h (below).

View larger version (4K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. 5-HT1Pan can be stably expressed in an inducible tissue culture system. Western blot with anti-5-HT1Crust showing expression of 5-HT1Pan in the lobster nervous system (Lns) and in stably transfected 293-TR-5-HT1Pan cells after induction with tetracycline for the indicated times (24, 12, 8, 6 h) and in non-induced cells (NI).

Assay of IP release in cells expressing 5-HT_2βPan and 5-HT_2βPro
Inositol phosphate (IP) release was assayed as previously described (Clark et al., 2004). Briefly, transiently transfected cells were divided among wells on a 24-well plate with 1 µCi ml^–1 of [³H]myoinositol (Amersham, Piscataway, NJ, USA) and allowed to grow to 95–100% confluency over 48 h. The cells were washed with fresh EMEM and then exposed to 10 mmol l^–1 LiCl in EMEM for 20 min at 37°C. As applicable, antagonists were added to individual wells and allowed to incubate for an additional 10 min. 5-HT or agonist drugs were added to test well contents and cells were returned to 37°C for 60 min. The medium was removed and replaced with ice-cold 20 mmol l^–1 formic acid. Plates were then placed on ice for 30 min. The cell lysate was collected and applied to AG1-X8 columns (BioRad, Hercules, CA, USA) equilibrated with 20 mmol l^–1 formic acid. The columns were washed with 50 mmol l^–1 ammonium hydroxide followed by elution of inositol phosphates (IP) with 10 ml of 1 mol l^–1 ammonium formate–0.1 mol l^–1 formic acid. The IP fraction was scintillation counted. Membranes attached to the wells were dissolved in 1 mol l^–1 NaOH and scintillation counted as total phosphatidyl inositols (PI). Activation results are expressed as the fraction of radioactivity incorporated in IP over that in IP+PI and normalized to activity observed in negative control wells (no drug) for every experiment.

View larger version (71K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 2. 5-HT2β receptors contain key structural elements typical of the 5-HT receptor superfamily and are conserved among arthropods. Predicted protein sequences of 5-HT2β from Panulirus and Procambarus are aligned with their ortholog from Drosophila and the human 5-HT2C receptor. Residues identical to the 5-HT2βPro sequence are indicated with thin lined boxes. Transmembrane domains are indicated with black bars above the sequence and the reference residue for numbering in each is shaded (see Results). Black ovals surround amino acids important for 5-HT ligand binding. Grey boxes surround areas important for G protein coupling or activation. Asterisks above the sequences indicate consensus sites for N-linked glycosylations in crustacean sequences. A black dot indicates the evolutionary change from DRY to DRF in crustacean sequences (see Results).

[cAMP] determinations in cells expressing 5-HT_1Pan or 5-HT_1Pro

1Pan

1Pro

Heterologous expression system data analysis
Data for all pharmacology assays involving the heterologous expression systems were plotted and analyzed in GraphPad Prism v.4. Statistics for bar graphs were calculated using a two-way ANOVA with a Bonferroni post-test. Dose–response curves were fitted with a standard slope top–bottom or bottom–top dose–response curve to calculate EC/IC₅₀ and efficacy values.

	RESULTS

TOP Summary INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION References

 
Molecular structure of crustacean 5-HT receptors
The crustacean 5-HT_2β receptor was recently cloned from Panulirus interruptus and characterized with respect to its signaling properties (Clark et al., 2004) and pharmacological profile (N.S. and D.J.B., unpublished). We have used degenerate RT-PCR and RACE to clone the Procambarus clarkii ortholog, 5-HT_2βPro, from crayfish nervous system cDNA. The full-length 5-HT₁ cDNA was previously cloned from Panulirus and the partial sequence was reported for Macrobrachium rosenbergii and Procambarus clarkii (Sosa et al., 2004). In this study we completed the cloning and sequencing of the Procambarus 5-HT₁ ortholog using RACE. The predicted amino acid sequences of 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ orthologs were very well conserved between Panulirus and Procambarus; 72 and 90%, respectively, over the entire protein (Figs 2 and 3, Table 1).

View larger version (95K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 3. 5-HT1 receptors contain key structural elements typical of the 5-HT receptor superfamily and are conserved among arthropods. Predicted protein sequences of 5-HT1 from Panulirus and Procambarus are aligned with their orthologs from Drosophila, Heliothis and Papilio and the human 5-HT1A receptor. Residues identical to the 5-HT1Pro sequence are boxed with thin lines. Transmembrane domains are indicated with black bars above the sequence and the reference residue for numbering in each is shaded (see Results). Black ovals surround amino acids important for 5-HT ligand binding. Grey boxes surround areas important for G protein coupling or activation. Asterisks above the sequences indicate consensus sites for N-linked glycosylations in crustacean sequences.

When comparing 5-HT receptors from various species, the overall sequence identity can fall very quickly. This is mainly due to the N- and C-terminal domains and the majority of the third intracellular loop, all of which are highly variable in 5-HT receptors. These regions are not thought to be critical to signaling or pharmacology (Kroeze et al., 2002; Saudou et al., 1992; Witz et al., 1990). When these variable regions were excluded from the alignment, a core region representing 34–59% of the protein remained. This core consisted of transmembrane domains and short linker regions important for maintenance of protein structure, ligand binding and signaling. The identity between Panulirus and Procambarus orthologs in the core protein was very high at 97% for 5-HT_2β and 98% for 5-HT₁ (Table 1). The complete 5-HT_2β sequence from each crustacean was 45% identical to the predicted protein sequence of their ortholog from the fruit fly, with an increase to 68% for the core protein. Similarly, crustacean 5-HT₁ receptors showed 29–53% identity to orthologs from fly, budworm and butterfly with the core protein sharing at least 76% identity between any of these five arthropod species. In addition, the cores of both crustacean receptors had greater than 40% identity to their human homologs.

5-HT receptors from all species share key conserved residues in their transmembrane domains that are responsible for forming the ligand binding pocket. Because the N-terminal and extra-membrane loops of diverse GPCRs are of variable lengths, referring to residues by their absolute position within these proteins does not allow for comparisons of structural domains between proteins. The Ballesteros-Weinstein numbering scheme used here identified a crucial and conserved characteristic residue common to all G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) within each transmembrane domain (TM) that was arbitrarily assigned the number 50 (grey, Figs 2 and 3). Other residues within that TM domain were then numbered with the TM number followed by the residue number in relation to this identified amino acid [i.e. Phe (6.51) immediately follows the reference residue in TM6, Pro (6.50)] (Ballesteros and Weinstein, 1995). In biogenic amine receptors the charged residue Asp (3.32) is thought to act as a counterion for the protonated amine moiety of amine ligands, agonists and antagonists and is required for ligand binding but not receptor activation (Kristiansen et al., 2000). The presence of Asp (3.32) in combination with Trp (7.40) is considered a unique fingerprint for biogenic and trace amine GPCRs. These amino acids are involved in ligand binding and receptor activation. In addition to these residues, 5-HT receptors typically have a conserved group of hydrophobic amino acids [Trp (3.28), Phe (5.47), Phe (5.48), Trp (6.48), Phe (6.51), Phe (6.52), Trp (7.40), Tyr (7.43)] that form the hydrophobic ligand-binding pocket within the tertiary structure of the receptor [Kristiansen (Kristiansen, 2004) and references therein; (Roth et al., 1997)]. The hydroxyl group of 5-HT is thought to be stabilized by the Ser (5.43) residue in transmembrane helix 5. Finally, a disulfide bridge formed between Cys (3.25) and a Cys in extracellular loop 2 (EL 2) is important in maintaining tertiary structure and stabilizing the ligand binding pocket. All of these key amino acids (first defined in mammalian receptors) were conserved in 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ from crayfish and spiny lobster (Figs 2 and 3).

Crucial residues for G subunit binding specificity are located in cytoplasmic amphipathic -helical extensions of TM5 and 6 in intracellular loop 3 (IL3) (reviewed by Blenau and Baumann, 2001; Gether, 2000; Kristiansen, 2004; Strader et al., 1995). The C-terminal region of IL3 near the membrane interface with TM6 interacts with the C-terminal end of the G protein, helping to confer the receptor's specificity for a specific G subtype. Again, these regions were very well conserved when comparing the crustacean receptor orthologs to each other, to orthologs from other arthropods and to a human homolog (Figs 2 and 3). Although IL2 does not appear to be involved in determining G specificity, this loop contains an -helix that is thought to act in conjunction with the adjacent DRY motif as a switch between active and inactive states making this loop important for efficient G protein activation. Ligand binding results in protonation of the Asp (3.49) in the DRY motif and in significant rotation of TM3 and TM6 and transition to the active state of the receptor. In addition, the DRY motif and the residues surrounding it are important for constitutive activation in 5-HT receptors (Gether, 2000; Shapiro et al., 2002). Interestingly, the 5-HT_2β receptor cloned from Panulirus has evolved a DRF sequence in place of the DRY that confers increased basal activity of the receptor when stably expressed in cell culture (Clark et al., 2004); this sequence alteration was conserved in 5-HT_2βPro from crayfish (Fig. 2).

Serotonin receptors are extensively post-translationally modified by several mechanisms. Most known GPCRs, including 5-HT_2βPro and 5-HT_1Pro have several consensus sites for N-linked glycosylation (Asn–X–Ser/Thr) in the N-terminal tail (Figs 2 and 3) and sometimes in other extracellular regions such as EL2. Proper glycosylation of at least some of these sites is required to obtain appropriate levels of receptor expression on the cell surface (Lanctot et al., 2006). Efficiency of ligand binding and functional activity of receptors are not known to be affected by the glycosylation state in receptors that are expressed in the membrane. The putative glycosylation sites of 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ were conserved between orthologs from Panulirus and Procambarus (Figs 2 and 3). Many GPCRs also have a Cys residue in the proximal region of the C-terminal tail that is a putative palmitoylation site; this creates a membrane anchor, generating an additional cytoplasmic loop. This site was present in crustacean 5-HT_2β receptors but not in 5-HT₁.

The high degree of conservation of the key structures within the crustacean receptors led us to predict that their signaling pathways will also be the same as those of their vertebrate and invertebrate homologs. Because of the high level of overall conservation, we also might expect the spiny lobster and crayfish orthologs of 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ to exhibit similar pharmacological profiles. In order to compare the functional properties of Panulirus and Procambarus 5-HT receptors, we heterologously expressed the proteins in cell culture and used second messenger assays to determine their ligand specificity, signaling and pharmacological properties.

Amine specificity of 5-HT_2βPan and 5-HT_βPro
The arthropod 5-HT_2β receptor was initially cloned from Panulirus and shown to be specific for 5-HT over other biogenic amines (Clark et al., 2004). When stably expressed in HEK cells, activation of this receptor resulted in increased intracellular levels of inositol phosphates (IP), activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and no change in cAMP levels. In addition, stably expressed 5-HT_2βPan demonstrated constitutive activity conferred by the DRY motif (Clark et al., 2004). In this study we transiently expressed 5-HT_2βPan in HEK cells and measured IP release in response to amines and putative pharmacological agents. Interestingly, unlike stably transfected cultures, we found no constitutive activity of 5-HT_2βPan when the receptor was transiently expressed (see Discussion).

Non-transfected parental HEK cells did not respond to 1 mmol l^–1 concentrations of any of the monoamines in the IP assay (Fig. 4A). 5-HT_2βPan responded to 5-HT, dopamine and tyramine with IP release (Fig. 4B). The EC₅₀ for 5-HT was 52 nmol l^–1 whereas greater than 50 µmol l^–1 dopamine (DA) and tyramine (Tyr) were required to activate 5-HT_2βPan (Fig. 4C). At 1 mmol l^–1 these amines also had an efficacy less than 55% that of 5-HT (Table 2), indicating that 5-HT is the preferred functional ligand for the 5-HT_2βPan receptor. As observed for transiently expressed 5-HT_2βPan, we found no constitutive activity of transiently expressed 5-HT_2βPro. 5-HT_2βPro responded strongly to 5-HT with a smaller response to DA (Fig. 4D). The EC₅₀ for 5-HT_2βPro was 270 nmol l^–1 whereas 1 mmol l^–1 DA elicited only a minimal response (Fig. 4E, Table 2).

View larger version (20K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 4. 5-HT is the only biogenic amine that acts as a potent agonist at 5-HT2βPan and 5-HT2βPro. (A) Non-transfected parental HEK cells do not show significant IP responses to any of the amines tested. (B) IP release in response to biogenic amines (10–3 mol l–1) in cells transiently expressing 5-HT2βPan. Cells expressing 5-HT2βPan demonstrate a greater than sixfold increase in IP release in response to 5-HT and a smaller but significant increase in response to dopamine and tyramine. Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3, **P<0.001 and *P<0.05 versus no drug control. (C) Dose–response curves of 5-HT2βPan to biogenic amines in IP assay. 5-HT2βPan responds to 5-HT (squares) with an EC50 of 52 nmol l–1. Dopamine (DA; circles) and tyramine (Tyr; triangles) activate the receptors only at very high concentrations. Non-transfected HEK cells do not respond to 5-HT (crosses). Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3. (D) IP release in response to biogenic amines (10–3 mol l–1) in cells transiently expressing 5-HT2βPro. IP release is increased more than fourfold in response to 1 mmol l–1 5-HT in cells expressing 5-HT2βPro. A smaller but significant increase in response to dopamine is observed. Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3, **P<0.001 vs no drug control. (E) Dose–response curves of 5-HT2βPro to biogenic amines in IP assay. 5-HT2βPro responds to 5-HT (squares) with an EC50 of 270 nmol l–1. Dopamine (circles) activates the receptor only at very high concentrations. Non-transfected HEK cells do not respond to 5-HT (crosses). Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3.

View this table: [in this window] [in a new window]   Table 2. Agonist profiles of 5-HT2β and 5-HT1 from Panulirus and Procambarus are very similar

Amine specificity of 5-HT_1Pan and 5-HT_1Pro
We were not able to express 5-HT_1Pan or 5-HT_1Pro in traditional systems including HEK293, NIH3T3, MDCK or COS-7 cells; all cells that produced the receptor protein, as determined by western blot analysis, were unhealthy and did not grow beyond 3 weeks. In the few cases where a stable cell line was generated, 5-HT₁ protein could not be detected by western blot analysis, suggesting rearrangements in the DNA construct. We do not understand why mammalian cell lines were unable to stably express 5-HT₁ using traditional methods. 5-HT_1Pan and 5-HT_1Pro appeared to be constitutively active (below) so high levels of expression of the receptors in standard expression systems may have resulted in toxicity. Alternatively, the protein synthesis, export or turnover machineries of the cells may have been overly taxed by high levels of 5-HT₁ expression such that they were not able to maintain normal functions.

In order to functionally characterize 5-HT_1Pan and 5-HT_1Pro, we therefore employed an inducible expression system. 5-HT_1Pan or 5-HT_1Pro constructs were stably transfected into 293-TR cells expressing the tetracycline repressor protein. In this system the 5-HT₁ construct is under control of the Tet operator sequence, which binds the repressor protein in the absence of tetracycline, thereby preventing expression of 5-HT₁. Upon addition of tetracycline to the media, the repressor protein dissociates and 5-HT₁ is transcribed and translated into protein. The western blot in Fig. 1 indicates that non-induced cells (tetracycline absent) did not express detectable levels of 5-HT_1Pan. After induction (tetracycline present) we were able to obtain high levels of 5-HT_1Pan expression within 6 h that lasted for at least 24 h (Fig. 1). Similar results were obtained for cells induced to express 5-HT_1Pro (not shown).

When compared with non-induced cells, induced cells expressing either 5-HT_1Pan or 5-HT_1Pro showed an increased sensitivity to forskolin, a non-specific activator of adenylyl cyclase (Fig. 5A,C). This supersensitization of adenylyl cyclase is typical of cells expressing a constitutively active Gi/o-coupled receptor (Johnston and Watts, 2003). Constitutive activity has been observed in mammalian 5-HT₁ receptors as well as other G protein-coupled receptors (Berg et al., 2005; Cosi and Koek, 2000; Johnston and Watts, 2003; Liu et al., 1999).

View larger version (28K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 5. 5-HT is the only biogenic amine that acts as a potent agonist at 5-HT1Pan and 5-HT1Pro. (A) Inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in response to biogenic amines (10–3 mol l–1) in cells induced to express 5-HT1Pan. Non-induced (NI) cells do not significantly respond to biogenic amines (left). Induced cells show supersensitivity and accumulate significantly higher levels of cAMP in response to forskolin only (grey bars). In induced cells adenylyl cyclase is significantly inhibited in response to 1 mmol l–1 5-HT but no other biogenic amines (right). Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3, #P<0.05 vs non-induced, **P<0.001 vs forskolin only. (B) Dose–response curve of 5-HT1Pan (squares) to 5-HT. The EC50 of 5-HT at 5-HT1Pan is 8.4 nmol l–1. Non-induced cells do not show significant changes in forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in response to 5-HT (crosses). Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3. (C) Inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in response to amines (10–3 mol l–1) in cells induced to express 5-HT1Pro. Adenylyl cyclase in non-induced cells is activated by dopamine, octopamine and histamine (left). Induced cells accumulate significantly higher levels of cAMP in response to forskolin only (grey bars). In induced cells adenylyl cyclase is significantly inhibited in response to 1 mmol l–1 5-HT and tyramine but no other biogenic amines (right). As observed in non-induced cells, histamine elicits an increase in cAMP levels in cells expressing 5-HT1Pro. Values are means ± s.e.m. N=3, #P<0.001 vs non-induced, **P<0.001 and *P<0.05 vs forskolin only. (D) Non-induced (NI) cells show a positive response in cAMP levels at high concentrations of 5-HT (crosses). Owing to this background activity, the dose–response curve of 5-HT1Pro (black squares) to 5-HT is biphasic. When the activity of non-induced cells in response to 5-HT is subtracted from the response of induced cells (5-HT–NI; grey squares), a sigmoidal dose–response curve is obtained. This curve has an EC50 for 5-HT at 5-HT1Pro of 31 nmol l–1. Even at high concentrations tyramine has a minimal effect on 5-HT1Pro (triangles). Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3.

All known vertebrate and invertebrate 5-HT₁ receptors inhibit adenylyl cyclase, resulting in decreased cAMP levels after stimulation with forskolin (Hoyer et al., 2002; Tierney, 2001). As expected for a 5-HT₁ receptor expressed in a HEK293 cell line, 5-HT_1Pan activation with 5-HT inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation, presumably via Gi/o inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. At 1 mmol l^–1 concentrations, 5-HT was the only monoamine to significantly activate 5-HT_1Pan (Fig. 5A). 5-HT is a highly effective ligand at 5-HT_1Pan with an EC₅₀ of 8.4 nmol l^–1 (Fig. 5B, Table 2). No significant change in cAMP levels was observed with any biogenic amine in non-induced 293-TR-5-HT_1Pan cells (Fig. 5A).

Similarly, 5-HT_1Pro activation with 1 mmol l^–1 5-HT also blocks forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation. Tyr was the only other biogenic amine that resulted in a significant decrease of cAMP in cells expressing 5-HT_1Pro (Fig. 5C). Serotonin and tyramine are therefore the only amines that significantly inhibit adenylyl cyclase via activation of the 5-HT_1Pro receptor. Histamine, dopamine and octopamine all produced an increase in cAMP levels in non-induced cells. Similar levels of cAMP were observed in the induced cells, suggesting that these amines do not act at the 5-HT_1Pro receptor. Non-induced 293-TR-5-HT_1Pro cells gave a positive cAMP response at high 5-HT concentrations (Fig. 5D, crosses). Unlike the cell line expressing Panulirus 5-HT₁, during the selection period, the 5-HT_1Pro cell line appears to have initiated expression of an endogenous 5-HT receptor that is positively coupled to adenylyl cyclase. It is not unusual for cell cultures to change their karyotypes or expression profiles over time due to the lack of selection pressure to maintain a constant genome. Such changes can be significant and can lead to different net signaling effects for the same protein (Clark and Baro, 2007; Friedman et al., 2002). Cells that were induced to produce 5-HT_1Pro responded to low 5-HT concentrations with a decrease in forskolin-induced cAMP mediated by 5-HT_1Pro. This effect was dampened and partially reversed at higher 5-HT concentrations through activation of the endogenous receptor (Fig. 5D, black squares). Subtraction of the 5-HT curves of non-induced cells (Fig. 5D, crosses) from induced cells (Fig. 5D, black squares) resulted in a sigmoidal dose–response for 5-HT at 5-HT_1Pro with an EC₅₀ of 31 nmol l^–1 (Fig. 5D, grey squares). Tyramine was an inefficient agonist and slightly reduced cAMP accumulation only at high concentrations (Fig. 5D, triangles) indicating that 5-HT is the preferred functional ligand for 5-HT_1Pro.

Agonist drugs of crustacean 5-HT receptors
In order to determine if the conservation in sequence and signaling extends to the receptors' responses to pharmacological agents, we tested crayfish 5-HT_2βPro and 5-HT_1Pro with a suite of agonist drugs. All drugs that showed significant activity at 10^–3 mol l^–1 in an initial overview (Fig. 6) were tested in dose–response curves (see Fig. 7 for examples), which were then used to determine the potency and efficacy (% of maximum 5-HT response at highest concentration) of the drugs. The EC₅₀ is a measure of the potency of a drug and reflects its binding affinity at the receptor. Because the maximum effect, or efficacy, achieved by any drug is dependent on the number of receptors expressed we ran a parallel dose–response curve for 5-HT in every experiment and normalized all agonist maximum effects to the maximum 5-HT response, set at 100%. These data have been previously reported for the Panulirus receptor (N.S. and D.J.B., unpublished) and are summarized with the Procambarus receptor data in Table 2 for comparison.

View larger version (30K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 6. Specific drugs have differential agonist activity at 5-HT2β and 5-HT1. (A) Release of IP in cells expressing 5-HT2βPro (right) in response to various putative agonist drugs (10–3 mol l–1, except methysergide, 10–5 mol l–1). Non-transfected HEK cells (left) show no IP release in response to the drugs. Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3, ***P<0.001 and *P<0.05 vs no drug. (B) Inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP production in response to the same drugs in cells induced to express 5-HT1Pro. Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3, #P<0.05 vs non-induced, **P<0.001 and P<0.05 vs forskolin only.

View larger version (14K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 7. Example dose–response curves for agonists and antagonists at 5-HT2βPro and 5-HT1Pro. (A) Cells expressing 5-HT2βPro respond with a dose-dependent increase in IP levels in response to 5-HT (10–3 mol l–1; black squares) and two agonists with different potencies and efficacies, 2-methyl-5-HT (black circles) and 5-XT (black triangles). The 5-HT-indexed IP response is blocked by increasing concentrations of two antagonists, methiothepin (grey inverted triangles) and cinanserin (grey diamonds). Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3. (B) Dose-dependent responses to 5-HT (squares) and two agonists, mCPP (circles) and methysergide (triangles) with different potencies and efficacies in cells induced to express 5-HT1aPro. Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3.

5-HT_2β agonists
Most of the drugs that activated 5-HT_2βPro had an efficacy close to that of 5-HT (Fig. 6A, Table 2). Methysergide (EC₅₀=110 nmol l^–1) was more potent than 5-HT (EC₅₀=270 nmol l^–1), however, it elicited only 19% of the total response obtained with 5-HT. Thus, when both potency and efficacy are considered, 5-HT is the strongest ligand at 5-HT_2βPro. The rank potency of effective agonists at 5-HT_2βPro was methysergide>5-HT>8-OH-DPAT>MeOTryp>5-CT>2-Me-5-HT>-Me-5-HT. This was very similar to the potency ranking of these drugs at 5-HT_2βPan. However, as can be seen in Table 2, the potency of drugs at the crayfish receptor was generally lower than in lobster, with 5-HT being five times less potent. The crayfish ortholog did not respond to 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI), which was a relatively weak agonist of 5-HT_2βPan. The potencies of methysergide, 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) and 5-methoxytryptamine (MeOTryp) were similar for the two orthologs, but their efficacies were twofold lower at the 5-HT_2βPro ortholog (Table 2). However, 2-methyl-serotonin (2-Me-5-HT) was less potent at 5-HT_2βPro, whereas ortholog efficacies were equivalent. Together these data indicate that, whereas the pharmacological profiles of 5-HT_2βPro and 5-HT_2βPan are conserved in terms of which drugs are active, 5-HT_2βPro was consistently less sensitive to agonist stimulation. As observed for 5-HT_2βPan, no change in IP level was detected in cells expressing 5-HT_2βPro after application of 10^–3 mol l^–1 N-acetyl-5-HT, quipazine, or 1-(m-chlorophenyl)-piperazine (mCPP). None of the drugs had significant effects on non-transfected parental HEK cells (Fig. 6A).

5-HT₁ agonists
Most of the putative agonists tested (at 1 mmol l^–1) resulted in some activation of the 5-HT_1Pro receptor (Fig. 6B, Table 2). The rank potency of effective agonists at 5-HT_1Pro was 5-HT > 2-Me-5-HT > -Me-5-HT > methysergide > tyramine > 8-OH-DPAT > mCPP > quipazine. The agonist 2-Me-5-HT was almost as potent but only 73% as efficacious as 5-HT. This pharmacological profile is very similar to that of its lobster ortholog, 5-HT_1Pan. However, as for the 5-HT_2βPan receptor, the crayfish ortholog of 5-HT_1Pro was generally less sensitive to agonists than the lobster ortholog. ±-Methyl-serotonin (-Me-5-HT) was more potent, and (±)-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-dipropylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) was less potent at 5-HT_1Pro relative to 5-HT_1Pan, however, both these drugs had lower efficacies at the crayfish ortholog. The potency of mCPP was comparable for Panulirus and Procambarus 5-HT_1, although it was less efficient at the crayfish ortholog. Methysergide was less potent but had a higher efficacy at 5-HT_1Pro compared to 5-HT_1Pan. Two drugs that could not be tested at 5-HT_1Pan because they altered cAMP levels in non-induced 293-TR-5-HT_1Pan cells, 2-Me-5-HT and quipazine, are effective agonists of 5-HT_1Pro. Several drugs (DOI, 5-CT, MeOTryp, N-acetyl-5-HT) had complex effects on induced 293-TR-5-HT_1Pro cells that could not be fitted with standard dose–response curves. These complex effects are probably due to endogenous 5-HT receptors expressed by the non-induced cell line as observed in the 5-HT dose–response curve above (Fig. 5D, crosses). We were therefore not able to determine an EC₅₀ or relative efficacy measurements for these drugs.

In summary, we identified two agonists that would activate 5-HT₁ but not 5-HT_2β (Table 2). mCPP is an agonist of 5-HT₁ but not 5-HT_2β in Procambarus and Panulirus whereas quipazine is also inactive at 5-HT_2β from either species and activates 5-HT_1Pro but could not be tested on 5-HT_1Pan.

Antagonist drugs of crustacean 5-HT receptors
Because pharmacological agents can be active at multiple 5-HT receptors, strategic combinations of drugs will be necessary to identify the receptors involved in physiological 5-HT effects. In addition to agonists, we therefore tested a suite of putative antagonists on 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ from Procambarus and compared them to the antagonist profile for Panulirus receptors (N.S. and D.J.B., unpublished).

Antagonists were applied to cells 10 min before 5-HT application and second messenger assays were used to test receptor activation. Antagonists were first screened at 10^–5 mol l^–1 (Fig. 8) and then dose–response curves were generated for any drugs that significantly blocked 5-HT activation of second messengers at that concentration (see Fig. 7 for examples). The IC₅₀ was calculated and is reported as a measure of potency for the drug. The efficacy, or maximum effect, for each drug again depends on receptor expression levels and is therefore reported as a percentage reduction from the level of receptor activation achieved by 5-HT alone in the same experiment (Table 3).

View larger version (26K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 8. Identification of antagonists of 5-HT2β and 5-HT1. (A) Putative antagonists have no effect on the parental HEK cell line (left). Several of the antagonists (10–5 mol l–1) block 5-HT (1 mmol l–1)-stimulated increases in IP levels in cells expressing 5-HT2βPro (right). Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3, *P<0.05 vs 5-HT only. (B) Antagonist drugs have no significant effect on non-induced 5-HT1Pro cells (left). None of these drugs (10 mmol l–1) blocks inhibition of adenylyl cyclase by 10–5 mol l–1 5-HT in cells induced to express 5-HT1Pro (right). Some putative antagonists actually increase the efficacy of the 5-HT effect. Values are means ± s.e.m., N=3, *P<0.05 vs 5-HT only.

View this table: [in this window] [in a new window]   Table 3. Antagonist profiles of 5-HT2β and 5-HT1 from Panulirus and Procambarus are well conserved

5-HT_2β antagonists
Putative antagonists had no effect on parental HEK cells (Fig. 8A). Several antagonists (at 10 µmol l^–1) significantly reduced 5-HT-induced (1 mmol l^–1) IP release in HEK cells expressing 5-HT_2βPro (Fig. 8A, Table 3). The rank potency of effective antagonists at 5-HT_2βPro was (+)butaclamol > methiothepin > ritanserin > cinanserin > clozapine (Table 3). Of the antagonists tested, ketanserin, spiperone, prazosin, (–)butaclamol, gramine and atropine had no effect at 10^–5 mol l^–1. The potency profile of active antagonists was nearly conserved between 5-HT_2β from crayfish and lobster, but four of the five drugs had lower IC₅₀s at the crayfish ortholog. In addition, all of the drugs blocked the crayfish receptor by >80%, but the lobster receptor by only 48–84%. 5-HT_2β from lobster and crayfish diverge by almost 30% in the variable regions (Table 1) and these differences could contribute to the increase in potency and efficacy of antagonists at 5-HT_2βPro.

5-HT₁ antagonists
Twenty-nine putative antagonists, including those that were characterized at 5-HT_2βPro, were tested on 5-HT_1Pro (Fig. 8B, Table 3). None of 14 putative antagonists (at 10 µmol l^–1) were able to block 5-HT (at 10 µmol l^–1) activation of 5-HT_1Pro. The antagonists were ineffective even at 10 nmol l^–1 (data not shown). These results agree with what we found for 5-HT_1Pan from Panulirus where the same putative antagonists also did not block activation of the receptor (Table 3). Because of background activity, presumably at endogenous GPCRs in the non-induced cell line, we were not able to test the 15 other putative antagonists on cells induced to express 5-HT_1Pro (Table 3). It is not surprising that the uninduced Pan and Pro cell lines showed different background activities, as it is well established that cell lines diverge with time in culture (Clark and Baro, 2007). Further, multiple copies of the plasmid DNA can be integrated into the host genome, and this has the potential to alter expression of nearby genes. It is unlikely that the number or location of plasmid insertions would be identical in the two cell lines.

As was seen at 5-HT_1Pan, several putative antagonists appeared to increase the efficacy of the 5-HT effect on cAMP accumulation in cells expressing 5-HT_1Pro (Fig. 8B). When tested without 5-HT, however, these drugs had no significant effect on forskolin-stimulated cAMP production (not shown), indicating that they are not acting as agonists. Further studies will be necessary to determine the relationship between antagonist drugs and the crustacean 5-HT₁ receptors.

Although we could not find effective 5-HT_1Pro antagonists, we were able to identify several drugs that would block 5-HT_2β while not affecting 5-HT activation of 5-HT₁ (Table 3). Methiothepin and cinanserin efficiently blocked 5-HT_2βPro but had no activity at 5-HT_1Pro. Similarly, cinanserin, (+)butaclamol and ritanserin all blocked 5-HT_2βPan but not 5-HT_1Pan. All four of these drugs are effective 5-HT_2β antagonists but some could not be tested at the 5-HT₁ receptor from one or the other species to confirm specificity because of differences in the parental 5-HT₁ cell lines.

	DISCUSSION

TOP Summary INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION References

 
Two 5-HT receptors from two infraorders of decapod crustaceans, Panulirus (Achelata) and Procambarus (Astacidea) are highly conserved in their sequence, signaling and pharmacological properties. A significant portion of the 5-HT₁ receptor from the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii, has also been cloned and is also highly conserved with its lobster and crayfish orthologs (Sosa et al., 2004). Together, these data suggest that the conservation of pharmacological function observed between the species studied here may extend beyond reptantian crustaceans, in which case the drugs identified here could perhaps be useful for dissecting 5-HT mechanisms in diverse crustacean systems. We have identified several antagonists, (+)butaclamol, cinanserin and ritanserin for Panulirus and methiothepin and cinanserin for Procambarus, that will block 5-HT_2β while leaving 5-HT₁ unaffected. In addition, mCPP weakly activates 5-HT₁ while having no effect on 5-HT_2β for both species whereas quipazine activates 5-HT_1Pro but not 5-HT_2βPro. Combinations of these drugs can be applied in studies of the mechanisms underlying 5-HT modulation in identified circuits and cells of the California spiny lobster, crayfish and related crustacean nervous systems.

Conservation of crustacean 5-HT receptor structure and signaling
Panulirus and Procambarus orthologs of 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ have the 5-HT signature sequences required for ligand binding and G protein coupling. Most of the sequence differences between receptor orthologs were located in the amino termini and the nonconserved center of the third intracellular loop. These regions may contribute to differences in sensitivity to pharmacological agents observed between receptor orthologs; however, no specific function has been ascribed to these regions to date (Kroeze et al., 2002). Indeed, in characterizing the Drosophila 5-HT₁ and 5-HT₇ receptors, the amino termini were removed to increase expression levels in cell culture, with no apparent effect on receptor function (Saudou et al., 1992; Witz et al., 1990).

5-HT was the only biogenic amine to significantly activate 5-HT_2βPro, however, DA and Tyr were also weak agonists of 5-HT_2βPan, suggesting that these amines could activate 5-HT_2βPan in a physiological context. By contrast, Clark et al. (Clark et al., 2004) found that 5-HT was the only biogenic amine to significantly activate 5-HT_2βPan. Thus, it is not clear whether or not DA and Tyr have any effect on the 5-HT_2βPan receptor in the native system. If these amines do activate native receptors, then is likely to be a concern only at synaptic sites where concentrations can reach up to 1 mmol l^–1 [(Clements, 1996; Frerking and Wilson, 1996) and references therein] because, high levels of DA and Tyr are required to activate 5-HT_2βPan. The difference between the two studies may be because we measured IP release [i.e. phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) activity] whereas the previous study measured PKC activity. Because PKC is downstream of PLCβ and dependent on the consequent release of Ca²⁺, low levels of PLCβ activation by DA and Tyr may not be sufficient to initiate a cascade culminating in PKC activation. Alternatively, the difference may stem from our use of transiently transfected cells whereas Clark et al. (Clark et al., 2004) studied stable transfectants. In addition, 5-HT_2βPan was found to be constitutively active when stably expressed in HEK293 cells (Clark et al., 2004). However, in our transient transfections with 5-HT_2βPan and 5-HT_2βPro we found no constitutive activity. The reason for the difference is unclear.

Crustacean 5-HT₁ receptors are typical type 1 5-HT receptors, preferentially responding to 5-HT over other biogenic amines with EC₅₀ values of 8.4 and 31 nmol l^–1, respectively. Other arthropod orthologs of 5-HT_1Pan and 5-HT_1Pro have been cloned and characterized from Drosophila (5-HT_1ADro, originally 5-HT_dro2A) and Boophilus microplus and these have comparable EC₅₀ values of 30 and 83 nmol l^–1 for 5-HT, respectively (Chen et al., 2004; Saudou et al., 1992). Whereas the lobster ortholog responded only to 5-HT, the crayfish ortholog was also activated by Tyr. Activation of 5-HT₁ receptors, including those described here, results in inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation. In addition, the crustacean 5-HT₁ receptor shows agonist-independent activity when expressed in HEK cells.

Conservation of crustacean 5-HT receptor pharmacological profiles
The pharmacological profiles of 5-HT receptors are very similar for Procambarus and Panulirus, but show more variability when compared with homologs from other invertebrates. Agonist activity at crustacean 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ orthologs is quite conserved. Two agonists that would differentiate between 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁ were identified. mCPP activates 5-HT₁ but not 5-HT_2β in both Procambarus and Panulirus. Quipazine is also specific to 5-HT_1Pro over 5-HT_2βPro and, similarly, is inactive at 5-HT_2βPan but could not be tested on 5-HT_1Pan. Quipazine binds weakly to a molluskan 5-HT₁ receptor (Sugamori et al., 1993) and to 5-HT_2Dro (Colas et al., 1995), indicating that its specificity may not be highly conserved among invertebrates. 8-OH-DPAT was an effective agonist of both crustacean 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁, and is also the only agonist reported to bind 5-HT_1Dro (Saudou et al., 1992). 8-OH-DPAT was considered a specific mammalian 5-HT₁ agonist but was later found to also activate 5-HT₇ receptors (Bard et al., 1993; Sprouse et al., 2004) and it activates Drosophila 5-HT_7Dro (Witz et al., 1990). Interestingly, methysergide is an agonist at crustacean 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₁. This drug is a functional antagonist of 5-HT_7Dro (Witz et al., 1990) and of vertebrate 5-HT₂ receptors but has agonist activity at some vertebrate 5-HT₁ receptors (Silberstein, 1998).

The antagonist profiles of 5-HT_2β receptors from Panulirus and Procambarus are also very well conserved. Cinanserin, (+)butaclamol, ritanserin and methiothepin were identified as antagonists that would block crustacean 5-HT_2β but not 5-HT₁ receptors, however not all of these could be tested at 5-HT₁ from both species. The antagonist profiles of the crustacean receptors could not be compared to other arthropod orthologs, as 5-HT_2β receptors have only been cloned from crustaceans, though they have been found in the fruit fly, honey bee and mosquito sequence databases. A Drosophila paralog of the 5-HT_2β receptor, 5-HT_2Dro [originally 5-HT_2Dro (see Tierney, 2001; Clark et al., 2004)] binds strongly to -Me-5-HT, 2-Me-5-HT, ritanserin and methysergide (Colas et al., 1995), all of which we found to be functionally active at 5-HT_2βPan and 5-HT_2βPro. These drugs may therefore, be 5-HT₂-specific antagonists in arthropods. N-acetyl-5-HT and ketanserin were completely inactive at crustacean 5-HT_2β but have very high binding constants at 5-HT_2Dro. Effective binding of a drug to a receptor may not directly reflect that drug's functional properties at the receptor. 5-HT_2β and 5-HT₂ may therefore be more or less similar, functionally, than suggested by these comparisons. Looking beyond arthropods, several 5-HT₁ and 5-HT₂ type receptors from mollusks and nematodes, also bind methiothepin or ritanserin (Angers et al., 1998; Gerhardt et al., 1996; Hamdan et al., 1999; Olde and McCombie, 1997; Sugamori et al., 1993). Similarly, (+)butaclamol binds a variety of 5-HT receptor subtypes from diverse species (Hamdan et al., 1999; Olde and McCombie, 1997; Saudou et al., 1992). In sum, the antagonist profile of 5-HT receptors appears to be well conserved among crustaceans but this may not extend between phyla.

Crustacean 5-HT₁ receptors are highly resistant to antagonists. Even the potent and selective mammalian 5-HT_1A blocker WAY100635 (Hoyer et al., 2002) was ineffective at 5-HT_1Pan. Prazosin, which functionally blocks 5-HT_1Dro (Saudou et al., 1992), also had no effect on crustacean 5-HT₁. Many of these putative antagonists block functional activation of mammalian (Hoyer et al., 2002) and invertebrate (Barbas et al., 2002; Hobson et al., 2003; Li et al., 1995; Saudou et al., 1992; Witz et al., 1990) 5-HT receptors. Although some of these may act as allosteric modulators and therefore be sensitive to the high variability of the N-terminal tail amongst 5-HT receptors (May et al., 2004), several of the drugs do efficiently displace radioligands at arthropod receptors (Tierney, 2001) and therefore presumably bind at or near the ligand binding pocket. For none of these to be capable of blocking 5-HT activation of crustacean 5-HT₁ is unexpected. 5-HT₁ may have an extraordinarily high affinity and selectivity for 5-HT such that the antagonists are not able to overcome the binding of and/or conformational changes elicited by 5-HT. Radioligand studies done on other arthropod 5-HT₁ receptors, however, do not fully support this hypothesis as some putative antagonist drugs bind more strongly than 5-HT (Colas et al., 1995; Saudou et al., 1992). Alternatively, the exogenously expressed crustacean 5-HT₁ may be in a hyperactive state that overcomes any antagonist effects. This might explain the high response to almost all the putative agonists we tested.

Putative function of characterized 5-HT receptors in crustacean physiological systems
We previously showed that 5-HT₁ was extensively expressed in thoracic ganglia of crayfish and Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the giant freshwater prawn, in similar patterns (Sosa et al., 2004; Spitzer et al., 2005). Crustacean 5-HT receptors may therefore be conserved in their expression patterns as well as in their molecular structure and function. In crayfish, 5-HT₁ is observed in somata and the neuropil throughout the central nerve cord. It is also localized to processes surrounding the nerve roots, to super